Biography

At an early age Lena Vandrey was described as “unusually gifted,” “precocious” and “brilliant”— and left to deal with these labels on her own. The little “genius” began producing drawings and poems at age 2. Following happy years spent at a commercial school Lena left Germany and moved to France—the Vandreys were of Huguenot origin. Her path led her from Paris to Provence, to a lonesome house on a high plateau: 21 years without electricity, seven years without telephone, 35 years of water problems and very often long treks on foot with a heavy load.

Rebuilding: not only this ruin but also many others, and collecting. Vandrey’s collection of women’s household and religious art and artifacts now belongs to the state. Many films and books document this work.

Then came the Zyklus der Unverwesbaren Geliebten (Cycle of Incorruptible Lovers), a gift to the French women’s movement, the MLF; only those who really desire it are meant to recognize themselves in this dream structure.

Next followed the “Ur”-Figures: the Matriarchs, the Angels, the Women of History, Doña Quixote and Sancha Panza for Monique Wittig; exhibitions in Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Geneva, Tübingen, Lyon, Grenoble—always images and texts; post cards, postage stamps for the women of Sarajevo; the Auschwitz-Zyklus, the Demeter-Paradiese, the Magma-Magna-Maria; many books, films, catalogues. Lena Vandrey’s Amazon figures are the subject of a text by author Christa Reinig. Lena’s partner, Mina Noubadji-Huttenlocher, has collaborated on all catalogue projects and is author of the 900-page doctoral dissertation, Die Exilsprachen der Lena Vandrey (The Exile-Languages of Lena Vandrey).

In 2002 Lena and Mina acquired and renovated a mansion overlooking the Rhône to create the Musée des Anges – Lena-Vandrey in Bourg-Saint-Andéol, Ardèche (16 Rue Jeanne d’Arc), as a little Villa Medici for culturally engaged women. A large park, four apartments, spring water and olive trees, grape vines, an herb garden and fine Provencial cooking based on Lena’s Kochbilderbuch für weibliche Lebenskunst (Picture Cook Book for the Womanly Art of Life) all make for a unique atmosphere.

Lena Vandrey and Mina Noubadji-Huttenlocher are feminist cultural producers. Their work consists of texts, drawings, paintings, assemblages in boxes and cut-outs, sculptures, edifices, collections; always with a direct connection to a possible female culture in every impossible aspect, including humor—even unintentional.

(Mina Noubadji-Huttenlocher, based on information provided by Lena Vandrey. Edited for FemBio by Luise F. Pusch. Translated by Joey Horsley)